Just installed folding@home

MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
edited April 2004 in Folding@Home
Umm... yeah I'm kinda new here. So to join team short-media i just enter 93 under team number in configuration? Is there anything I should know about this program, except that it'll rape my processor? :wow2: Any specific configuration options you recommend?

Comments

  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2004
    I am guessing you installed the GUI version with the pretty pictures?

    If so then add this: ' -advmethods -forcesse' to the shortcut in the startup folder. IN the target line in properties. So it would be like this: C:\FAH directory\fah.exe -advmethods -forcesse. If there are quotes put the new stuff after the target line.

    What these do is get you doing semi-beta Work Units (WUs). They use SSE, and 2dnow! (if you have an AMD) on your CPU to go much faster and do a lot more work for Stanford. -forcesse will force you to use SSE on your CPU, the fastest of the optimizations.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    mmonnin wrote:
    I am guessing you installed the GUI version with the pretty pictures?

    If so then add this: ' -advmethods -forcesse' to the shortcut in the startup folder. IN the target line in properties. So it would be like this: C:\FAH directory\fah.exe -advmethods -forcesse. If there are quotes put the new stuff after the target line.

    What these do is get you doing semi-beta Work Units (WUs). They use SSE, and 2dnow! (if you have an AMD) on your CPU to go much faster and do a lot more work for Stanford. -forcesse will force you to use SSE on your CPU, the fastest of the optimizations.

    Yup, got the pretty pictures. :bigggrin: I don't have an AMD processor, P4. They have support for SSE. Will it help it go faster? And why's it only usin' 50% of my processor. No hyper-threading support?
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited April 2004
    u will need to use the console version + gui version or console + console version with the -local switch to have it do hyperthreading. you dont need the -forcesse switch since u have an p4. so u will actually have 2 instances of F@H running. someone with a p4 can probably explain it better since i run an AMD

    Oh!...and Welcome to the Greatest Team there is! :cheers:
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    fatcat wrote:
    someone with a p4 can probably explain it better since i run an AMD
    Probably lol. You just confused me. So does that mean I install the console version and run it alongside the one I have now? Or is there a option I can edit?
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited April 2004
    TheGr81 wrote:
    Probably lol. You just confused me. So does that mean I install the console version and run it alongside the one I have now? Or is there a option I can edit?

    yes u can do it that way, you just need the -local switch for both the gui and console versions. this allows 2 F@H's to be running. the -local switch saves all the info in each individual folders.

    example
    C:\Programs\FAH1\FAH4Console.exe -local -advmethods
    C:\Programs\FAH2\FAH4GUI.exe -local -advmethods

    each version needs its own folder. i dont use the GUI version so as the how to with the switches i wouldnt know.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2004
    Ok now for it to use 100% of the CPU you have to run a console as well as the GUI. The project uses machine IDs. The GUI uses machine ID#1 as default. The console client you can change the machine ID toa number from 1-8. So since you can run say two machine ID #1 on the same computer the console is needed as a second client so you can set it machine ID#2.

    Make a new folder for the console. FAH2 or whatever you want to your program files or wherever you want. Download the console version in there. Make a shortcut to the client and do the same like you did for the Startup shortcut (IE the advmethods and forcesse things). This time add the '-local' tag behind the other 2 switches. Spaces between all of them. Click on the shortcut and configure the client. Make sure to enter yes to advances options and machine ID#2.

    You can use the same username and Team #93.:)

    If you have any more questions, keep asking.:)
  • dragonV8dragonV8 not here much New
    edited April 2004
    :woowoo: Another P4 Hyper Threading. :thumbsup: Nothing against AMD ofcourse. :nudge:
    Sally has 2 running (for now). Just loves it. Plenty of others running the same setup.

    Oops, nearly forgot, welcome TheGr81.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    Got two instances running now. 100% is being used. So what exactly does the -local argument do for it? And for the GUI, is the machine default 1? I can't find that option in configuration. But for the console I set it to 2. Is that right? Is there any way to make the console not take up room in my taskbar?

    Thanks guys, glad I am welcomed. :cheers:
  • dragonV8dragonV8 not here much New
    edited April 2004
    G'day Gr81. My wife is fast asleep, due to ilness, so i cannot ask her for advise re your last questions. However, if you go to the "sticky's" above your thread, there is lots of info.

    I'm sure one of the more "knowledgable ones" will help you out further before too long.
    Gotta love Hyperthreading, 2 Work Units at the time with one proc. :fold::fold:

    Cheerio Jon
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2004
    The local tag makes sure that it takes info from your FAH folder instead of your registry.

    There is no option to change the machine ID# in the GUI. Thats why you can run 2 of them. They will both try to run the same machine ID and try to do the same WU and you would end up getting like hald the production but still be using 100% of the CPU.

    Yep lots of stuff in the Everything about folding thread, including a link to Tray it!. It will take anything in your taskbar and put it in your system tray, by the clock.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited April 2004
    Welcome to the best team in the whole project - we're small but highly committed to the project and thus we are able to hang up there in the top 10 with teams that are much, much larger than ours. :)
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2004
    TheGr81. Welcome to your new Team. You will have fun - not an order, but a fact! AMD vs P4C exhibits advantages and disadvantages for both processors. Hyperthreading with a Northwood can be very, very productive, especially with "Gromacs" protein models.

    My System 1 below is operating in hyperthreading mode, with two instances of Folding@Home employed. I've got one console version set to start Folding operations via the Startup folder; the second Folding console iteration is started via FireDaemon Light 1.6 Service Manager. In retrospect, it would have been easier to set this up with the -local flag. When I first discovered that my system was only utilizing 50% CPU capacity (right after I built the machine), I didn't know about the -local option.

    Word of caution: hyperthreading with two instances of Folding can be unstable for the folding simulations under overclocking. If you overclock, ensure that your CPU temperature is not overly high and that you have high quality RAM. Previously I was running garden variety (Geil) RAM in System 1. After switching to my present RAM, I am having nearly flawless folding performance, even at the front side bus overclock of 25%.

    Also, P4 Northwoods are very efficient with folding Gromacs, but are not up to par with AMD XP Athlons when folding "Tinker" proteins. The
    -advmethods flag will cause your system to have a bias towards receiving Gromacs.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    Wow. Thanks Leo! Good to know, especially after 3 hard locks or so. =/ That sucks. My temps reach 54-56 degrees (stock cooling), but I've never had any problems with my ram, samsung. I thought the reason for the locking was maybe low core voltage. Guess not, but I guess the little extra bit of juice won't hurt it.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2004
    You will probably need a quality aftermarket CPU cooler. Thermalright is the way to go, just as recommended above. P4 Northwoods will perform very well at elevated temperatures, but NOT under extremely high intensity situations such as overclocking or Folding. In the interim, before you improve your cooling, you could limit the amount of CPU utilization Folding is allowed to demand.

    Console version how to:

    Go to your Folding@Home installations folders. Open the Cleint.cfg folder. It should look something like this attached image. At the end where it reads "cpuusage=100", edit the numeral to read '80' (for each folding client). See what that does for temperatures and stability. Yes, it will slow production; but a slower stable machine will outperform a fast, unstable setup.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    Good idea. It'll also outperform most AMD processors! :D

    ....Maybe if the option was there.
    From client.cfg...
    [settings]
    username=TheGr8est12003
    team=93
    asknet=no
    machineid=2

    [http]
    active=no
    host=localhost
    port=8080
    usereg=no

    Something wrong there? Maybe I should just reinstall the console and edit it at first configuration? It's odd. The other installation (GUI) has all that in client.cfg, and I did change it to 80%.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    Skills! I just took a wild guess and added -config as an argument in the shortcut to the console. I wish my guesses worked for everything I would like to do. Well, I put the console down to 80%. Testing both now.

    I would like to say that each process stays at 40%, but they seem to alternate between 30% and 50%. Is it supposed to do that? It's weird. But both of them together never take more than about 80% of my processor.

    ....Correction. Sometimes both of them make 60-100%. It kinda keeps jumping up and down.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    Temperatures are down!
  • res0r9lmres0r9lm Florida
    edited April 2004
    I don't think the cooling is that bad. I think I have a few xp's running around 52-56c. you know I had to try one of those stock amd hsf's everyone raves about :crazy: I guess you have to overclock P4's just to get them upto speed with folding@home I'll take a dually over HT anyday. I wonder if a third client would get it to 100% all the time.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2004
    Hmm, a number of things for which to respond.
    Good idea. It'll also outperform most AMD processors!
    Not so fast there, Young Skywalker! AMD Bartons leave any P4 version in the dust when processing Tinker proteins. Gromacs are best handled by P4s, especially if you can get two them running simultaneously in hyperthreading. (Hyperthreading is somewhat overrated; but there are some applications and multi-tasking environments where HT simply rocks.)
    I would like to say that each process stays at 40%, but they seem to alternate between 30% and 50%. Is it supposed to do that? It's weird. But both of them together never take more than about 80% of my processor.
    If your computer is currently folding the ~In Water proteins, then yes, that CPU usage fluctuation is completely normal. I think I've observed a couple of the other new Gromacs proteins causing similar results, souch as the ~fkfe-all (no, that's not an expletive!).
    I think I have a few xp's running around 52-56c
    Sure, I don't think 52-56*C with a P4 Northwood is too high either; but under heavy load, like Folding's 100% CPU utilization, instability can creep in. Ageek was explaining that this instability may not be due to the CPU temperature itself, but to the CPU residual waste heat that radiates out to other components nearby - namely, the RAM. Beats me.
    I wonder if a third client would get it to 100% all the time.
    Oh man, I might just have to try that!

    TheGr81, I think you are finding one of the reasons we enjoy Folding so much -- in pursuit of performance we have a real-world benchmark that provides all kinds of data for further tweaking and upgrading.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited April 2004
    Yeah, and it's a great stability test for overclockers. Or maybe it just doesn't like my system. :wtf:
  • res0r9lmres0r9lm Florida
    edited April 2004
    Sure, I don't think 52-56*C with a P4 Northwood is too high either; but under heavy load, like Folding's 100% CPU utilization, instability can creep in. Ageek was explaining that this instability may not be due to the CPU temperature itself, but to the CPU residual waste heat that radiates out to other components nearby - namely, the RAM. Beats me.
    I did really think of that but mine are mount to 1/4" hardboard then they slide into a homemade rack I made out of all-thread and 2" aluminum flat plate and then screw down in an open syle like seti stomp monster only better so case temps don't come into play when you don't have a case.
    Good idea. It'll also outperform most AMD processors!
    Intel still far behind and K7 cpu when it comes to tinkers. I have never owned a intel cpu but they do have merits same for amd. I'm not loyal to any company but I do prefer a more balanced cpu which ever one that is but I draw the line with apple. Who knows what brand we will be running in the future might even be Via....j/k
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited April 2004
    Leo, I think I remember reading at the community forums where someone experimented with running more than 2 clients with a HT P4 while folding these double gromacs WU's and saw a noticable increase in points production with 3 clients running but no real noticable gain with 4 clients running. These SSE2 Gro WU's my P4's have been getting all seem to vary like you've noticed.

    Res, nice to see you back here. :) Don't be a stranger, man.:)
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited April 2004
    mudd, someone said 5 clients was the point of no possitice return. Only 2 percent increase with the 5th client with the double WUs.
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